Trans-Canada Highway

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For the Boards of Canada record, see Trans Canada Highway (EP).


Trans-Canada Highway
BC AB SK MB ON QC NB PE NS NL YT NT NU
Length:	7,821km^[1] (4,857 mi)-South route 2,960 km (1,838 mi)-Yellowhead
Formed:	1962
Direction:	West-East
From:	Victoria / Prince Rupert
To:	St. John's
Major cities:	Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, St. John's

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins all ten provinces of Canada. The system was approved by the Trans-Canada Highway Act of 1948^[2], construction commenced in 1950^[3], officially opened in 1962, and was completed in 1971. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers.

Throughout much of Canada, there are at least two routes designated as part of the Trans-Canada Highway. For example, in the Western provinces, both the main Trans-Canada route and the Yellowhead Highway are part of the Trans-Canada system.

Unlike the American Interstate highway system, not all of the Trans-Canada Highway uses limited-access freeways, or even four-lane roads, making it more similar to the U.S. Highway system. Canada does not have a comprehensive national highway system, as decisions about highway and freeway construction are entirely under the jurisdiction of the individual provinces. In 2000 and 2001, the government of Jean Chrétien considered funding an infrastructure project to have the full Trans-Canada system converted to freeway. Although freeway construction funding was made available to some provinces for portions of the system, the government ultimately decided not to pursue a comprehensive highway conversion. Opposition to funding the freeway upgrade was due to low traffic levels in parts of the Trans-Canada; provinces preferred the money going towards improving vital trade routes (often not inter-provincial) and border crossings with the United States.

Route numbering on the Trans-Canada Highway is also handled by the provinces. The Western provinces have coordinated their highway numbers so that the main Trans-Canada line is designated Highway 1 and the Yellowhead Highway line is designated Highway 16 throughout the region. However, from the Manitoba-Ontario border east, highway numbers change at each provincial boundary. As the Trans-Canada is in many places composed from parts of other important highways with their own separate identities (these highways already existed before the Trans-Canada), and the province of Quebec, in particular, is unlikely to change its geographically-based highway numbering system to conform to a cross-Canada numbering scheme, the Trans-Canada Highway will most likely never have a uniform designation across the whole country.

1 Route details
2 The "mile zero" concept
3 "Highway 1" and other References
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route details

[edit] Victoria—Winnipeg

Highway 1 Westbound through Chilliwack towards Vancouver

Highway 1 with wildlife overpass, eastbound in the Banff National Park

The highway, designated as Highway 1 in the four western provinces, begins in Victoria, British Columbia and passes northward along the east coast of Vancouver Island for 99 km to Nanaimo; a 57 km-long ferry route (see BC Ferries) connects the highway to West Vancouver, whence it passes through the Vancouver metropolitan area, heading 170 km east to Hope, then turns north for 186 km toward Cache Creek, then east for 79 km through to Kamloops, then 483 km east to Banff, 101 km to Calgary, 293 km to Medicine Hat, 403 km east to Moose Jaw, 79 km to Regina, 372 km to Brandon, 119 km to Portage La Prairie, and 84 km east to Winnipeg. Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway (the southern half of which, Manitoba Provincial Highway 100, is officially part of the Trans-Canada) gives highway drivers a way of bypassing the city completely.

Through the western provinces, the speed limit is generally 100 km/h on the Trans-Canada, though limited-access portions in Alberta and Saskatchewan may have higher limits of 110 km/h.

It is in the B.C.-to-Manitoba part of Canada that the Yellowhead Highway, an ancillary branch of the TCH, runs its course along Highways 16 and 5.

There is also a route known as the southern inter-provinicial which runs between B.C. and Alberta, known as the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3 in both provinces); it connects with the main branch of the Trans Canada in both Hope, BC and Medicine Hat, Alberta.

For more information, see also:

Trans Canada (Main) Route

British Columbia Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway/Island Highway/Upper Levels Highway)
Alberta Highway 1
Saskatchewan Highway 1
Manitoba Highway 1
Manitoba Highway 100 (Winnipeg Perimeter Highway)

Yellowhead Route

British Columbia Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway)
British Columbia highway 5 (Yellowhead Highway South/Coquihalla Highway)
Alberta Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway)
Saskatchewan Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway)
Manitoba Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway)

Crowsnest Route

British Columbia Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway)
Alberta Highway 3 (Crowsnest Highway)

[edit] Winnipeg—Ottawa

The Trans-Canada highway in Mattawa, Ontario.

The highway continues east from Winnipeg for another 205 km to Kenora. The existing branch from Kenora continues east for 136 km to Dryden. A new branch begins at Rainy River, which goes east for 92 km to Fort Frances. The two branches converge 288 km east of Dryden (which is also 282 km east of Fort Frances). The united highway proceeds southeast for 65 km to Thunder Bay. The highway proceeds northeast for 115 km to Nipigon, where it once again splits into two routes. The northern route is designated as Highway 11, and the southern branch is designated as Highway 17. From Nipigon, Highway 11 extends through the north of Ontario for 401 km east to Hearst and another 213 km east through Cochrane. The highway proceeds southeast for 218 km to New Liskeard, then south for 153 km to North Bay, where it meets highway 17. Near Kirkland Lake, a northern spur route of the Trans-Canada extends eastward from Highway 11, following Ontario's Highway 66 (58 km), then Quebec's Route 117 (576 km) and Autoroute 15 (98 km) into Montreal.

A section of the Trans-Canada between Thunder Bay and Nipigon is named the Terry Fox Courage Highway. The 83km section marks the spot where Terry was forced to end his cross-Canada Marathon of Hope run (which was raising money for cancer research). A bronze statue marks the spot where he stopped his run.

From Nipigon, Highway 17 proceeds east along the coast of Lake Superior for 581 km through to Sault Ste. Marie and another 291 km east to Sudbury, where the Trans-Canada Highway splits again. The resulting southern branch follows highways 69 and 400 south for 254 km, then follows Highway 12 southeast for 27 km to Orillia, then follows Highway 12 south for 58 km along the shore of Lake Simcoe, then follows highway 7 east for 70 km to Peterborough. The existing northern branch goes east for 151 km to North Bay, where it meets the Highway 11 route. The highway then goes east for 216 km before arriving at Pembroke. The two branches converge at Ottawa, 244 km east of Peterborough and 123 km east of Pembroke.

Through most of Ontario, the speed limit is generally 80 km/h on the Trans-Canada, though freeway portions may have a higher limit of 100 km/h, as does the limited access four-lane section from Arnprior, Ontario through Ottawa to the Ontario/Quebec border.

It is notable that the Trans-Canada does not go through Canada's most heavily populated area, southern Ontario, including Toronto, the country's largest city. In this area, the Trans-Canada name is little known or used.

[edit] Ottawa—Moncton

QC Route 20 northbound

From Ottawa, the Trans-Canada Highway proceeds 206 km east to Montreal. Known as Highway 417 in Ontario and Autoroute 40 in Quebec, the Trans-Canada also assumes the name "Autoroute Métropolitaine" (also known as "The Met" or "Metropolitan Boulevard") as it traverses Montreal as an elevated highway. At the Decarie Interchange in Montreal, the Abitibi route (ON-66/QC-117/QC-15) rejoins the main TCH line. The TCH then follows Autoroute 25 southbound, crossing the St. Lawrence River through the Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Bridge-Tunnel, and proceeds northeast on Autoroute 20 for 257 km to Lévis (across from Quebec City).

East of Levis, the Trans-Canada highway continues on Autoroute 20 following the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River to a junction just south of Rivière-du-Loup, 173 km northeast of Levis. At that junction, the highway turns southeast and changes designation to Autoroute 85 for 13 km, and then loses its limited-access status, becoming Route 185 until the New Brunswick border. The portion from Autoroute 20 to Edmundston, New Brunswick is 121 km long.

Following the designation of Highway 2, from Edmundston, the highway follows the St. John River valley, running south for 170 km to Woodstock (parallelling the International Boundary) and then east for another 102 km to pass through Fredericton. 40 km east of Fredericton, the St. John River turns south whereby the highway crosses the river at Jemseg and continues heading east to Moncton another 135 km later. New Brunswick is currently in the process of converting all of its portion of the Trans-Canada highway into four-lane freeways, with the majority of this project already completed. Once converted, these sections have a speed limit of 110 km/h, except in urban areas.

[edit] Moncton—North Sydney

From Moncton, the highway continues southeast for 54 km to a junction at Aulac on the New Brunswick - Nova Scotia border (near Sackville) where the Trans-Canada Highway splits into the main route continuing to the nearby border with Nova Scotia as New Brunswick Highway 2, and a 70 km route designated as Highway 16 which runs east to the Confederation Bridge at Cape Jourimain.

[edit] Prince Edward Island

Confederation Bridge

After crossing the Northumberland Strait on the 13 km-long Confederation Bridge to Borden-Carleton, the Trans-Canada Highway follows a 110 km-long route across southern Prince Edward Island, designated as Highway 1. After passing through Charlottetown it ends at Wood Islands where a 26 km-long ferry route (see Northumberland Ferries Ltd.) crosses the Northumberland Strait to Caribou, Nova Scotia (near Pictou). From the ferry terminal at Caribou, the highway continues south for another 19 km as Highway 106 to a junction with the direct Trans-Canada Highway route (Highway 104) at Westville (near New Glasgow).

[edit] Nova Scotia

From the New Brunswick border, the main Trans-Canada Highway route continues east into Nova Scotia, where it follows the designation of provincial Highway 104. The highway then passes by Truro, where it links with provincial Highway 102 to Halifax, 117 km east of the New Brunswick border. It should be noted that there is a 30-km stretch of toll highway on this section with the cost $4.00/automobile (different rates for other vehicles).

From Truro, the highway continues east for 57 km to New Glasgow (where it links with provincial Highway 106 — that portion of the Trans-Canada running to the ferry terminal at Caribou), and then northeast for another 112 km to the Canso Causeway which crosses the Strait of Canso to Cape Breton Island near Port Hawkesbury. From the Canso Causeway, the highway continues east for 144 km using the designation of provincial Highway 105 in Cape Breton, until reaching the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal at North Sydney.

[edit] Port aux Basques—St. John's

From North Sydney a 177 km-long ferry route continues the highway to Newfoundland, arriving at Channel-Port aux Basques, whereby the Trans-Canada Highway assumes the designation of Highway 1 and runs northeast for 219 km through Corner Brook, east for another 352 km through Gander and finally ends at St. John's, another 334 km southeast.

[edit] The "mile zero" concept

The Mile Zero monument at the end of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria, British Columbia.

The marker showing the actual start point.

Although there does not appear to be any nationally-sanctioned "starting point" for the entire Trans-Canada Highway system, St. John's appears to have adopted this designation for the section of highway running in the city by using the term "Mile One" for its sports stadium and convention centre complex, Mile One Centre.

The Victoria terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway lies at the foot of Douglas Street and Dallas Road at Beacon Hill Park, and is marked by a "mile zero" monument. This is the official western end of the Trans-Canada Highway, though Tofino claims to be the "Pacific Terminus".

Although B.C. Highway 4 was commissioned in 1953 and is technically not part of the Trans-Canada Highway system, there is also a sign marking the Pacific terminus of the Trans-Canada Highway at Tofino, British Columbia, where Highway 4 terminates in the west, but it was most likely erected before 1953. Tofino was a strong proponent of a Trans-Canada Highway since the 1920s, when the only roads in the area were gravel, recognizing the need for tourism. The community was bypassed by the official Trans-Canada Highway in the 1950s, when government prioritized the connection of major communities in its budgets, choosing instead to connect Nanaimo with Victoria.

[edit] "Highway 1" and other References

All the highways designated 1 in the western provinces are designated as Trans-Canada Highway 1 on road maps.

Only Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick lack Highway 1 designations for their sections of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Quebec and Ontario use standard provincial highway markers to number the highway within their boundaries, but post numberless Trans-Canada Highway shields alongside them to identify it.

People across Canada (less so in Ontario and Quebec) generally refer to the highway as "The Trans-Canada Highway" ("Trans-Canada", "T-Can", or "TCH") rather than by its number(s), except residents of PEI who are known to refer to "The One". In Quebec it is "la Transcanadienne" or "Metropolitan Boulevard". In downtown Ottawa it is "the Queensway". Residents of the Vancouver area often refer to it as simply "The Highway", "The Freeway", or "Highway One".

Since the Trans-Canada Highway does not pass through the heavily populated portions of southern Ontario, including Toronto, the "Trans-Canada" name is little known or used in this part of Canada.